You are here

Collective Bargaining

In October, full-time non-tenure track faculty at Wright State University voted overwhelmingly to have the Wright State chapter of the AAUP represent them in collective bargaining. The chapter has served as the collective bargaining agent for full-time tenure track faculty.

The faculty and academic staff union (AAUP-AFT) and the administration at Wayne State University have tentatively agreed to an eight-year contract. In addition to changes in wages and benefits, the contract establishes ongoing committees to explore the use of technology in education and the changing realities of health care benefits.

Tags:

The year 2013 got off to a tumultuous start at Bowling Green State University, where members of the AAUP-affiliated faculty union led protests against funding cuts and became involved in intensive—and ultimately successful—contract negotiations.

The AAUP-CBC held its Eastern Regional Meeting in New York City on February 23 and its Western Regional Meeting in Portland, Oregon, on April 6. The events were hosted, respectively, by the Professional Staff Congress of the City University of New York, an affiliate of the AAUP and the American Federation of Teachers, and the Portland State University AAUP chapter.

Whew! It had been a trying day—a long slog of a day, and it never let up. Organizing faculty members— convincing them to get beyond their all-encompassing scholarship to support a collective political objective— was a daunting challenge. As an associate professor of political science, the president of the university’s AAUP chapter, and the driving force behind the unionization campaign at Cleveland State University, Rodger Govea knew he might fail. He shook his head, trudging from his AAUP office to his car; he had been on the front lines all day.

It’s been a little over a year since the Organizing for Change slate was elected to lead the AAUP. In running for office, we noted that higher education in general and the AAUP in particular are at a crossroads. We argued that higher education and our values are under attack, pointing to assaults on collective bargaining rights and shared governance, the continuing abuse of full- and part-time non-tenure-track faculty appointments, and the erosion of academic freedom for both students and the faculty.

After 10 months of negotiations, United Academics, the union representing over 1,800 faculty and other academic employees at the University of Oregon, has reached a tentative agreement on a first contract with the UO administration.

Start a Chapter

Active AAUP chapters serve the profession on more than 450 campuses by supporting principles and programs that vitally affect the quality of higher education and professional life. Find out how you can start a chapter at your college or university.

Join the AAUP

By joining the AAUP, you help shape the future of our profession. In addition, there are practical benefits such as discounts, insurance programs, and a subscription to Academe, including the annual report on faculty compensation. Click here to read more about the benefits of an AAUP membership.

Guide to Unemployment Benefits

Access to Unemployment Insurance Benefits for Contingent Faculty offers advice for individual contingent faculty members as well as a discussion of strategies for changing policies regarding access to unemployment benefits. The guidebook can be purchased for $6 in the AAUP Store.